NJ Spotlight--School Performance Reports 101: What You Need to Know to Decode the Data

The state has released a treasure trove of data about all 2,500 public schools, but digging in is partly a matter of knowing where to look

As recently as a decade ago, the release of the New Jersey’s public-school report cards was a big deal, ballyhooed with press conferences and special sections in local newspapers that celebrated test scores and other achievements.

That was then. This is now: The decline of local newspapers, the rise of the Internet, and the sophistication of the data itself all contributed to Friday’s quiet announcement -- accompanied by a single press release -- that the state’s latest School Performance Reports for all 2,500-plus public schools were available online.

Star Ledger--N.J. settles lawsuit over high school graduation requirements

TRENTON — New Jersey's graduation requirements for current high school students will remain in effect, but students still scrambling to graduate this spring will have more protections under a settlement agreement finalized Friday.

The state will allow districts to review last-resort portfolio appeals from seniors until Sept. 1, and students still appealing can walk in their graduation ceremonies if they have met all graduation requirements except the one for standardized testing, according to the settlement.

Teacher pay has been a controversial subject in New Jersey for years. Today, in some districts, median teacher salaries are approaching six figures.

TRENTON — New Jersey teachers could spend less time under observation by their supervisors if a new proposal wins approval from the state Board of Education.

In response to administrators' concerns about the amount of time spent on teacher evaluations, the state Department of Education is recommending reducing the minimum observation time for new teachers to three 20-minute sessions, Deputy Education Commissioner Peter Shulman said.

Currently, teachers with one or two years of experience need to be observed three times for a total of 100 minutes: twice for at least 40 minutes and once for at least 20 minutes.

In reducing the administrative time spent on teacher observations — the proposal also calls for fewer observations of highly rated veteran teachers — the state would free up about 35 hours a year for administrators, allowing them to help teachers in the best way they see fit, Shulman said.

Education Week--ESSA Paves Way for Deeper Access to Wealth of K-12 Data

The Every Student Succeeds Act scales back the federal role when it comes to accountability and school improvement, and grants states and districts new flexibility in using federal funds. But, as part of its bipartisan grand bargain, it also bolsters some federal requirements in one key area: transparency.

ESSA, which replaced the No Child Left Behind Act, calls for states and districts to provide test scores for some vulnerable groups of students for the first time ever, including foster children, homeless students, and students from military families.

And, in addition to those outcomes, it requires states and districts to report on a variety of factors that help capture the types of instructional resources students have access to and whether they have qualified teachers, and a safe school environment.